Home and Garden – Page 27

A monarch butterfly climbs on verbena blooms Sept. 9, 2025, in Oak Park. Land managers of rights-of-way throughout the area are increasingly implementing monarch-friendly practices such as installing native plants and mowing less frequently. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

As monarch butterflies head south, they’re getting an assist along utility rights of way, roadways

By Susan DeGrane

October 9, 2026 at 9:52 a.m.

The Illinois Department of Transportation, ComEd and other agencies are implementing practices along rights of...

Even spectacular bulbs such as these peony-flowered tulips are most effective groups. Plant them in fall for spring bloom. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Plant bulbs now for spring bloom

By Beth Botts

October 4, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

There’s no more satisfying way to spend a crisp fall day than planting bulbs for...

Ageratum is a sun-loving annual that can provide color in gardens that are challenged by rabbits. (Jeff Carrion/Chicago Botanic Garden)

Rabbits nibbling your garden? Here’s what to do.

By Tim Johnson

October 3, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The best way to prevent rabbit damage in the growing season is to exclude them...

Dividing perennials — or marking late-blooming ones to divide next spring — is a good gardening task for early autumn. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Fall garden tasks start with watering

By Beth Botts

September 22, 2024 at 12:30 p.m.

Here are some outdoor tasks to consider for autumn.

This photo provided by the Consumer Product Safety Commission shows a Lucid Platform Bed with an upholstered square tufted headboard that is being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, because they can break during use. (Consumer Product Safety Commission via AP)

Nearly 138,000 beds are being recalled after reports of them breaking or collapsing during use

By Associated Press

September 19, 2024 at 4:35 p.m.

Nearly 138,000 platform beds sold at major retailers including Amazon and Walmart are being recalled...

Work with an experienced professional arborist when assessing whether your tree can be saved. (Julie McCaffrey/Chicago Botanic Garden)

Which trees should be rescued after storm damage?

By Tim Johnson

September 15, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

The first thing to do after a significant storm is to carefully look for broken...

Cinnamon sticks, cloves and nutmegs — all spices in a pumpkin spice latte — show how we owe a “thank you” to trees and other plants.

Thank trees for pumpkin spice

By Beth Botts

September 14, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

When you sip a pumpkin spice latte or light up a pumpkin spice candle, you...

Apple scab is a common fungal infection of crabapple and fruiting apple trees. (RJ Carlson / Chicago Botanic Garden)

What should I do about apple scab?

By Tim Johnson

September 8, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

My crabapple trees have never looked worse than they do now. The trees appear to...

When you plant a tree, make sure that the root flare — the areas where the trunk flares out into the roots — is placed at or slightly above soil level. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Give a new tree a good start in fall

By Beth Botts

September 7, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

While you wait for autumn leaves to fall, consider planting a tree. “If you plant...

Stiff goldenrod is one of more than a dozen native species of goldenrod that bloom with bright yellow flowers in late summer throughout Illinois, and none of them causes allergies. The real

culprit is ragweed. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Enjoy goldenrod and don’t fear sneezing

By Beth Botts

September 3, 2024 at 11:07 a.m.

If your allergies act up in late summer, don’t blame goldenrod.

Resin from branches infected with cytospora canker. (RJ Carlson / Chicago Botanic Garden)

Blue spruce in decline may need more maintenance

By Tim Johnson

September 3, 2024 at 3:58 p.m.

I have a large blue spruce tree in front of my home. It is taller...

Indigo buntings are among the migratory birds that depend on trees and other plants in yards, gardens, parks and natural areas as they fly south along the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River in fall. (The Morton Arboretum)

Make your garden a friendly rest stop for migrating birds

By Beth Botts

August 25, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

More than 200 species of birds fly through the Chicago area every autumn, following Lake...

Plants grown in containers must be watered routinely. (RJ Carlson / Chicago Botanic Garden)

How can I improve my container plants?

By Tim Johnson

August 25, 2024 at 11:31 a.m.

I thought growing annuals for color would be easy, but I’ve noticed a couple of...